


A Christmas Love Story

by velvetjinx



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Fluff, Inspired by a Movie, M/M, Original Character Death(s), Shameless Smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-01
Updated: 2017-01-01
Packaged: 2018-09-13 23:25:21
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,728
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9146638
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/velvetjinx/pseuds/velvetjinx
Summary: Chris's family are pressuring him to have a relationship last for the holidays. Sebastian's are the same. What if they teamed up?





	

**Author's Note:**

> So apparently there's this amazing looking movie called "Hitched For the Holidays" which I have still NOT seen but this fic is loosely based on the IMDb synopsis because it looked too good not to.

Chris collapsed onto the sofa as the man who had been, until about five minutes ago, the love of his life - the most recent in a string of loves-of-his-life, if Chris was being honest with himself - stormed out the door. 

Fuck him. Who needed love, right?

The only problem was it was thanksgiving in two days and they had both been supposed to be going home to his parents' for the holidays. And Chris was fully aware of what his family would have to say about this. 

***

"Oh, Chris, honey, _again_?" his mother sighed disappointedly as he arrived alone at the house. 

"He was an ass!" Chris protested weakly, but his mother just gave him a sad look. 

The rest of the family was just as bad. All his siblings were either engaged or happily married, and they all kept trying to talk to him about his 'problem'. Which wasn't even that much of a problem - he was only thirty five, for god's sake. 

But by the time he left his parents' he'd had about enough of his family trying to interfere with his life and knew that something had to be done. 

He'd even had his old grandma, who he adored, on his back about it, but really she just wanted to see him happy and in love. 

A few days later, his mom phoned in tears. 

"Mom? What is it?" Chris asked frantically. 

"It's your grandma. She has pneumonia and the doctors don't think she's got long. Oh, Chris, her only wish was to see you settled but I doubt there's any chance of that now."

When Chris got off the phone his mind was made up. He opened his laptop and typed "LA singles" into Google, before opening up the first link and trawling through the many candidates. 

There were none who seemed appealing, however, until one caught his eye. The guy was super hot, his name was Sebastian, and he was looking for something temporary. Chris immediately created an account on the site and sent this Sebastian guy a message explaining his own situation. 

He wasn't expecting a particularly quick response, yet within half an hour he had a message waiting on him from Sebastian. 

_Hey Chris,_

_You sound like exactly what I'm looking for. Can we meet as soon as possible to talk over the details? Hope to hear from you soon._

_Sebastian_

Chris did a victory fistpump and messaged Sebastian back with the name of a nearby coffee shop and a handful of possible dates and times. Sebastian agreed to the location and one of the possible times (the next day at three), and Chris went to bed that night with butterflies of anticipation in his stomach. 

***

As Chris waited in the coffee shop, latte in hand, he began to have second thoughts. What if this Sebastian guy was a total weirdo? What if he was an axe murderer? What if...

"Chris?"

Chris nearly jumped out of his skin, and looked up into gorgeous blue eyes. 

"Uh," he began intelligently. 

"Sorry, didn't mean to scare you," the guy smiled. "I'm Sebastian?"

And oh god, the guy was even hotter in person than his profile picture had indicated, which Chris hadn't actually thought was possible, and yet. 

Gathering his wits together, Chris smiled. "Hey, I'm Chris. Nice to meet you." He held out his hand and it was shaken in a firm grip. 

"Hey. I'm just gonna go grab a coffee - you want anything?"

Chris shook his head, covertly watching Sebastian's ass as he walked over to the counter. It was a really nice ass. 

When Sebastian returned to the table, he sat opposite Chris and gave him a wide smile. 

"So your family are hassling you about being single too, huh?"

Chris laughed. "Yeah. I broke up with my ex boyfriend just before thanksgiving and they were all so disappointed that I was once again single for the holidays. Plus..." Chris sighed, taking a sip of his coffee as Sebastian watched him patiently. "Plus my grandma...she's in hospital and we don't think she's going to be around much longer, and all she wants right now is to see me settled."

Sebastian winced. "Oh, man, that's harsh. I'm so sorry. You guys close?"

Chris nodded. "Yeah. We're a pretty close knit family generally so it's tough."

"Okay, so," Sebastian said, spreading his fingers on the table, "we're both in the same boat. Families on our backs to find someone, but both of us are pretty sick of the dating game right now, right?"

"Right," Chris agreed. 

"So my suggestion is that we team up. Act like a couple, do couple-y things, just to get our families off our backs for a while - say until after the Christmas holidays? Then after a decent amount of time we can go our separate ways as friends, a mutual thing, no harm no foul, and our families will be sad but they'll understand. Sound good?"

"Sounds great," Chris grinned. 

"So how do you want to do this?"

Chris shrugged. "Well, we should probably exchange numbers and go out for dinner a few times, so we can get to know each other better. And hey, if you like football you can come round to mine next Saturday to watch the game? We can drink some beer, hang out, get some take out?"

"Sounds great." Sebastian handed over his phone and Chris did the same before programming his number into Sebastian's contacts. "Okay," Sebastian began, handing Chris's phone back, "so I can't stay long today - I've got so much to do it's not even funny - but if you want we could meet for dinner on Tuesday? Give us a chance to get to know each other a bit?"

"Yeah, I'm free then, so I can definitely do dinner. I'll book the restaurant if you want - any preference?"

"Italian always works for me," Sebastian smiled. "Okay, so text me with the name of the restaurant when you've booked it and I guess I'll see you Tuesday evening?"

They shook hands again, an Sebastian left the coffee shop. Chris smiled into his latte. Maybe things were looking up after all. 

***

They met as agreed on Tuesday night at seven at a small Italian restaurant off the beaten track, near Chris's apartment. Chris had been worried that despite everything they might not hit it off, but that couldn't be further from the truth. Conversation - and wine - flowed freely throughout their meal. 

Chris discovered that Sebastian was originally from Romania, his parents had divorced when he was too young to remember, and he and his mom had left Romania when he was eight. They had then gone to Austria for a few years before moving to New York for a few years and finally ending up in LA.

"So do you speak Romanian and German?" Chris asked. 

Sebastian shook his head. "Romanian, yeah, sure, I speak it with my parents. German...not so much."

In turn, Chris told him about his early Massachusetts upbringing before his family had relocated back to LA where the rest of the family lived, his parents, his two sisters and his brother. He laughed slightly self deprecatingly when he told Sebastian how he'd considered getting into acting but ended up as a teacher instead. 

By the time they left the restaurant, Chris felt as though he'd known Sebastian forever. They parted with an agreement that Sebastian would come round that weekend to watch the football, before hugging each other goodbye. 

All in all, Chris mused to himself as he walked back to his apartment building, it had been a very productive evening indeed. 

***

Chris hadn't been expecting to hear from Sebastian until he came over at the weekend, so he was surprised when his phone buzzed on Wednesday afternoon with a text from him. 

_Hey, Chris, had fun last night - really starting to think we're gonna be able to pull this off! Looking forward to Saturday. S_

Chris couldn't help the smile tugging at the corners of his mouth, as he typed in a reply. 

_Me too, and definitely! Don't forget beer on Saturday. Chris_

Chris continued with the lesson plan he was working on, but he couldn't really concentrate, so happy was he about the plan he and Sebastian were concocting. They'd decided that they'd go on a few "dates" before telling their families that they'd met someone new, since they both agreed that the best and most convincing lies were those that had an element of truth. 

By the time Saturday rolled around Chris was barely able to fight the overwhelming feeling of anticipation about hanging out with Sebastian again. They had hit it off so well, and you could never have too many friends in Chris's opinion. 

Sebastian arrived right on time, with beer and some snacks, and Chris let him into his apartment with a grin. 

"You know, I might just keep you around if you're going to be like this," he laughed. 

"I am the perfect house guest," Sebastian said comfortably, flopping down on Chris's sofa in front of the tv. 

They cracked open their beers and tapped them together in a toast. 

"To our epically awesome plan," Chris smiled, and Sebastian smiled back before drinking. 

The game was fine, but again the highlight for Chris was Sebastian's company. He was smart, and funny, and laughed at Chris's lame jokes with an air of sincerity that definitely endeared him to Chris. When he finally left later that evening, Chris closed the door behind him and looked around his apartment, feeling at a bit of a loss. But there was one thing that he needed to do. 

"Hey, mom," he said when his mom picked up the phone. 

"Chris? Hi, honey! How are you doing?"

"Yeah, I'm good. How are you all?"

"Oh we're all great. Starting to get some Christmas shopping in, you know. What have you been up to today?"

 _Here goes nothing._ "Uh, Sebastian came over to watch the game and we hung out all afternoon."

"And who is Sebastian?"

"Just a guy." Chris could almost see the disbelieving expression on his mother's face and pretended to sigh. "Okay, so we're sort of seeing each other, but we've only been out like three times so it's still pretty new."

"Oh, honey, that's wonderful news! Do you like him? Is he nice?"

"Yeah, mom," Chris smiled. "He's pretty great."

"So, come on! Tell me all about him!"

So Chris did, telling his mom everything he knew so far about Sebastian. "And he's just. I don't know, he's just this really great guy, you know? I think I might be lucky with this one."

"Oh, sweetheart, I'm so happy for you. Maybe give it a week or so and then tell your grandma? She'll be thrilled that you've finally met someone you click with."

"Yeah, I will," Chris replied softly. "Anyway, mom, I'd better go. I love you."

"Love you too, sweetheart. And I'm really happy for you."

Chris ended the call and took a deep breath. Now that was done, his mother wouldn't be able to keep her mouth shut and word would spread like wildfire through the family. 

***

When Chris and Sebastian met the following Wednesday to have dinner, Chris told Sebastian about his mother's reaction. 

"Mine was the same," Sebastian laughed. "'Oh, I know it's soon, but you really should bring him to meet us'," he added in a falsetto, grinning. "So, uh, fair warning - you'll probably have to meet my mom."

"I'll meet yours if you'll meet mine."

"Deal," Sebastian said, giving Chris an amused look over the top of his wine glass, and Chris's breath caught at the way his blue eyes glittered and the candlelight highlighted the sharpness of his cheekbones. 

Chris pulled himself up sharply. What the hell? This was supposed to be a totally fake relationship - he wasn't supposed to be noticing these things about Sebastian. It was pretty hard not to, though. The guy was so good looking it was actually a little unfair. 

Chris took a sip of wine and ignored the flutter in his chest as Sebastian smiled at him. It didn't mean anything. It _didn't_. 

***

The next day, Chris was just leaving the school to the gym when Sebastian called him. 

"Hey, Sebastian," he replied, surprised. "How's it going?"

"Hey Chris, it's fine, don't freak out," Sebastian began, and Chris's heart sank. 

"Sebastian? What's going on?"

"Okay, so you know how I said you'd probably have to meet my mom? Well she's decided she needs to meet you because she's actually completely crazy and doesn't understand the concept of 'only a few dates therefore _too soon_ ' and she's decided that I have to invite you for dinner."

Chris's eyes went wide, then he laughed. "Come on, man, it'll be fine. I'm good at talking to parents."

"That's not what's bothering me, but I can't talk about it right now. Can I come round to yours around eight this evening just to talk about stuff?"

"Of course you can. You can come round any time you want, Sebastian, you should know that."

"Oh. Okay, thanks." Chris thought he could hear a shy smile in Sebastian's voice. "Well I'll see you at eight then?"

They said their goodbyes and Chris ended the call, wondering what the hell Sebastian could be so worried about. 

***

At eight sharp Sebastian arrived at Chris's apartment, and Chris let him in, still pretty bemused from their earlier conversation. 

"So what's up?" he asked as they sat on the sofa together. 

Sebastian cleared his throat, looking uncomfortable. "Okay, it's just that...I'm a really affectionate guy, especially with people I'm in a relationship with."

"Oh-kay?"

"No. I mean, like, _physically_ affectionate," Sebastian winced, and Chris's eyes widened. 

"Oh. Oh! So. Uh. You mean like holding hands and stuff?"

"Well, yeah, that too, but also um. Kissing," Sebastian said hesitantly. "My mom is gonna expect me to plant one on you the moment you walk through the door and if I don't she's gonna know that something is up."

"Ohhhh. So, uh. You're going to kiss me?"

Chris tried to ignore the fact he was getting that fluttery feeing again, this time in the pit of his stomach. 

"I thought that it would probably be a good idea for us to practice - you know, so my mom doesn't suspect anything if it's our first kiss and it doesn't look right," Sebastian said in a rush, and the fluttering in Chris's stomach increased. 

"So you want to kiss me right now?"

"If you...only if you want me too," Sebastian said, edging closer to Chris. 

"Well, I suppose it might be bad if we don't practice," Chris said, moving a little bit closer to Sebastian. 

"Could be catastrophic," Sebastian murmured in agreement, closing the final distance between them and reaching a hand up to cup Chris's cheek before leaning in and pressing his lips against Chris's. 

Chris made a slight noise of surprise, but moved slightly and began to return the kiss and it was...even better than he had imagined. Not that he'd been imagining what it would be like to kiss Sebastian. Well, maybe he had a couple of times but this was so much better, it was amazing. Sebastian's lips were soft and full and slightly chapped, and then he pressed closer to Chris, deepening the kiss, and Chris groaned as their tongues met for the first time. 

That groan seemed to spur Sebastian on as he pressed even closer, running his hand down Chris's shoulder and squeezing his bicep, before moving it back up to cup behind Chris's head to pull him even closer. Time seemed to stop for Chris, his whole world narrowed to their joined mouths, but then Sebastian pulled back, breaking the kiss, and Chris tried not to whimper at the loss. 

"So, uh," Sebastian cleared his throat and rubbed the back of his neck. "We should be okay."

"Yeah, I think so," Chris said hoarsely. "Uh, I'm just gonna go...get a drink of water."

He all but ran into the kitchen and grabbed a glass before running the tap, trying to calm his racing heart and will down his half hard cock. He downed the entire glass of water in one go, then went back through to the living room where Sebastian was waiting on the sofa, hands clasped and staring at his shoes. When Chris entered he looked up and smiled, but the smile looked a little strained. 

"So we're gonna be okay with that, and me, like, hugging you and holding your hand and stuff?" Sebastian asked, and Chris nodded weakly. 

"Yeah, I think we should be fine," he lied, and Sebastian nodded. 

"Okay. Well, I guess I'd better go, but we'll see you Saturday?"

"Yup."

Sebastian paused, as if he wanted to add something, but shook his head instead and headed towards the door. Chris had no sooner closed the door behind him than he raced into his bedroom, sitting on the edge of the bed and pulling down his jeans and boxers before grasping his still half hard cock. He stroked himself with more urgency than finesse as he thought about kissing Sebastian, about those full, pouty lips wrapped around his cock, about kissing Sebastian when Chris fucked him, and suddenly he was coming all over himself. 

He wiped his sticky hand on his comforter and collapsed back on the bed, breathing heavily. Fuck. He was in way too deep, and he had no idea what the hell he was going to do. 

***

Saturday rolled around all too quickly. They had exchanged some texts during the rest of the week but hadn't seen each other, and Chris, while glad of the small amount of distance, had been all too aware of Saturday's approach. And now it was here. 

He arrived at Sebastian's apartment block at six on the dot, and rang the buzzer. When he went up the stairway to Sebastian's door, Sebastian was waiting for him, and pulled him inside by his shirt for a deep kiss. Chris was too surprised to pull away, but his treacherous body took over, returning the kiss with a fervour he would later deny to himself. 

Then he heard someone clearing their throat in the background, and he remembered exactly why Sebastian was kissing him. He pulled away abruptly, and saw a woman standing behind Sebastian, looking amused. 

"Well, Sebastian, you weren't kidding when you said you missed him when you couldn't see him during the week, huh?"

Sebastian shot Chris an indecipherable look, before turning to face his mother with a sheepish smile. "Yeah, well. And if you'd just stayed in the living room you wouldn't have had to witness that."

"I just wanted to see what was taking you so long," his mom laughed, before stepping forward and holding out her hand to Chris. "Hello, Chris. I'm Georgeta, Sebastian's mom."

Chris took the proffered hand and shook it. "Pleased to meet you."

"Sebastian's stepfather wanted to be here but unfortunately he's currently tied up with his students. It's a busy time of year for him."

Chris nodded and smiled, remembering that Sebastian had told him that his stepfather was a lecturer at UCLA. 

"Dinner will be ready in about fifteen minutes. Want a drink?" Sebastian asked. 

"Please," Chris replied, trying not to sound too desperate, but Sebastian laughed anyway so he wasn't sure that he had been successful. 

Sebastian brought him a glass of red wine and they all sat in the living room, Sebastian and Chris together on the sofa, close enough to touch, and Sebastian's mother on one of the chairs. 

Georgeta began to quiz Chris on his background, ignoring Sebastian's muttered warning of "Mom!", but Chris didn't mind. Answering questions took his mind off of the warm weight of Sebastian's hand on his knee and the memory of Sebastian's lips on his. 

All too soon it was time for dinner, and Chris and Georgeta sat around the kitchen table while Sebastian served them with gooey homemade lasagna, garlic bread and salad. 

"Wow, this looks amazing," Chris said to Sebastian, who smiled and took Chris's hand, pressing his lips lightly on the back. Chris was glad he was sitting down as his knees turned to jelly at the sweet gesture. 

"Thanks," Sebastian replied. "I just hope it tastes as good as it looks!"

"I'm sure it will," Georgeta laughed, and Chris started slightly, having forgotten she was even in the room. "If there's one thing I taught my son well it's how to cook."

They tucked in, and Chris quickly discovered that Georgeta hadn't been kidding - Sebastian really could cook. He moaned around his mouthful of lasagna and thought he saw Sebastian's eyes darken for a moment, although it was probably a trick of the light. 

After they had finished and polished off a couple of bottles of wine, Sebastian served dessert - a lemon torte with thick, fresh cream. 

"I think you're going to have to marry me if you can cook like this," Chris said thoughtlessly, before catching the excited glint in Georgeta's eyes. "I mean..." he said hurriedly, but Sebastian just laughed. 

"I know what you meant, and thank you for the compliment."

Ignoring the half disappointed, half calculating look in Sebastian's mother's eyes, Chris concentrated on finishing his dessert. 

The rest of the evening went relatively smoothly, but Chris was relieved when it was over, not least because Sebastian had kept on touching him while they'd been sitting together on the sofa - holding his hand, or squeezing his knee, or draping his arm around Chris's shoulders. It had been driving him distracted and he couldn't help but be glad it was over. 

Georgeta pulled him into a hug and kissed him on the cheek, with a muttered, "I'm sure we'll be seeing a lot more of you!" 

Sebastian led him to the door and pulled him close. "Better make it look good in case she's watching," he whispered, and Chris nodded, already leaning in. Sebastian kissed him deeply, and Chris tried to remember that it was all for show but couldn't transmit that to his body which was already starting to respond when Sebastian pulled back. 

"I'll, uh, I'll text you tomorrow?" Sebastian asked hoarsely, and Chris nodded, giving Sebastian a small smile before leaving. 

***

As Chris was only expecting a text the following day, he was surprised when his phone rang at about ten am, with the caller ID proclaiming that it was Sebastian. 

"Hey, man," he answered. "What's up?"

"Chris, oh man, you really should not have mentioned marriage yesterday," Sebastian said with a laugh. "My mom has now decided that we're destined to be together or something and thinks I should encourage you to propose for real."

"Wait what?"

"I know, Chris, don't even get me started. I did tell her that we've only been dating for like two weeks but her opinion was that 'time makes no difference when it's a question of true love' or something. So basically my point is maybe you should have gone into acting because apparently we were a little _too_ convincing."

"Wow. Your mom is...definitely pretty special, huh?"

"You have no idea. This is just the start. If you wanna bow out, now's your chance."

Chris was almost tempted to take Sebastian up on it - he knew he was getting in too deep as it was - but then the image of his grandmother's face flashed in front of his eyes and he rubbed at his face. 

"Nah, I...I can't. Unless you want to."

Sebastian laughed. "I'm used to dealing with my mom, so I'm fine. Just thought I'd give you the option. Oh hey," he continued, his voice softening, "you told your grandma about us yet?"

"Was planning on telling her today, although she's probably already found out through one of the rest of the family."

"Okay, well, good luck with that."

"Thanks. You wanna come over for some beers tomorrow?"

Was there a moment of hesitation before Sebastian answered or did Chris imagine it? "Yeah, sure! What time?"

"Say two pm?"

"Sounds good. Okay, I gotta go. See you tomorrow!"

They said their goodbyes and Chris ended the call, before scrolling through his contacts to his grandma's number. He nibbled nervously at his thumbnail as the phone rang, before it was answered by a cheerful, "Hello!"

"Hey, Susan, is that you?"

"Chris? Hey, little cousin! How's it going?"

"I'm okay. How's grandma?"

Susan sighed. "She's doing about as well as can be expected. Failing, but still clinging on, you know?"

"Can I come out and see her today?"

"I'm sure she'd love that. What time?"

"I was just gonna leave now, so I'll see you in about a half hour?"

"Great. See you then!"

Chris ended the call and took a deep breath. Well, here went nothing. 

***

He pulled up outside his grandma's house pretty much bang on time, and got out the car, flowers in hand. After locking the car he strode up to the front door of the house and rang the doorbell, and after a few moments it was answered by a beaming Susan. 

"Chris!" she exclaimed, pulling him into a hug. "It's so good to see you! She's awake now so you timed it well."

"Is she not usually awake?" Chris asked as he followed Susan through the house. 

Susan shrugged. "She sleeps a lot."

Susan knocked gently at the door at the end of the hall before pushing it open. "Hey, grandma," she said softly. "Look who's here to see you!"

"Is that my boy Chris?" came a frail voice from the bed, and Chris walked over beside the bed, taking his grandma's hand. 

"Hey, grandma," he said, somehow managing to smile through the tears that threatened at the sight of her looking so fragile. "How are you doing?"

His grandma waved a dismissive hand. "Never mind how I'm doing. You tell me about this new young man of yours!"

So Chris told her all about him, and that he'd met his mom the previous evening. 

"Well if you've met his mother, you should definitely introduce him to your own parents as soon as possible!"

"Grandma, we've only been together for two weeks, I don't think..."

"You, think!" she scoffed. "Chris, sweetheart, I've watched you through failed relationship after failed relationship, and I've never seen you light up the way you do when you talk about this Sebastian. True love doesn't know time limits. Now you promise me you'll bring him to see me soon, because I want to meet him and I don't know how much time I've got left."

"Grandma, don't talk like that! You're gonna be fine!"

His grandma shook her head sadly. "Oh, sweetheart. You and I both know that isn't true. But in the little time I have left on this earth I just want to see you happy and in love and settled. You've always been the one I worried about the most - you live with your head in the clouds. You always did. And it meant that people could take advantage of your sweet, trusting nature. But this boy, this Sebastian, he sounds like a real keeper. So you do your best with this one, okay? And you bring him to meet me soon."

"Okay," Chris agreed, choking back tears. 

"Now I need some sleep, but you remember what I said."

Chris nodded and kissed her wrinkled cheek, before stumbling blindly through his tears to the kitchen where Susan was sitting. He collapsed onto one of the chairs and wiped furiously at his eyes, looking up when Susan set a cup of coffee in front of him. 

"Thanks," he managed, and sipped cautiously at the warm liquid, taking a bigger drink when he realised it was the perfect temperature. "She wants me to bring Sebastian to meet her," he sighed. 

Susan shrugged. "Then do it. She's dying, Chris, and she doesn't have that much longer."

Chris nodded sharply, downing the rest of his coffee. "Thanks for the coffee," he said, smiling tightly and turning to go, but pausing when he felt Susan's hand on his arm. 

"She just wants to see you happy, Chris." 

"I know."

Chris drove home and collapsed onto his sofa as soon as he was in the door. Fuck. 

***

When Chris answered the door to Sebastian the following day, Sebastian knew immediately that something was up. 

"What is it? It's not...your grandma isn't..."

"No, no, nothing like that. It's just...can we drink the beer later? Only I saw my grandma yesterday and she was pretty much begging me to meet you..."

"Hey, Chris, not a problem, okay? Lemme just put the beer in the refrigerator and then we can take your car since you know where you're going."

When Sebastian came back from the kitchen, Chris was leaning half slumped against the wall, and was surprised when Sebastian's arms suddenly wrapped around him. Chris returned the hug, leaning in slightly to the comforting warmth of Sebastian's body, before letting go. 

"Thanks, man."

"Any time," Sebastian smiled. "Come on. We'd better get going."

They chatted about football and work and other light topics on the way, and before Chris knew it they were pulling up in front of his grandma's house. But of course theirs wasn't the only car there. 

"Shit."

"Chris? What's wrong?"

"That's my mom's car. I swear I didn't know she was going to be here!"

"Chris, chill, it's fine. Unexpected, but fine."

Chris saw the curtain at the kitchen window twitch and cursed. "Great, now someone's watching us."

"So let's give them a show," Sebastian murmured, leaning in and capturing Chris's lips with his own. Chris kissed back for a few moments before breaking the kiss, resting his forehead on Sebastian's. "It'll be okay. Okay?"

Chris nodded, and they both got out of the car. Chris grabbed Sebastian's hand and threaded their fingers together as they walked up to the door, but Sebastian only smiled at him. Chris had barely finished knocking when the door was flung open and his mother pulled him into a hug. 

"Chris! What are you doing here, weren't you here yesterday? And who is this?" she asked, looking pointedly at their joined hands. 

"Mom, this is Sebastian. Sebastian, this is my mom, Lisa. Mom, grandma wanted to meet Sebastian so I thought I'd bring him along."

His mom nodded. "Probably just in time, too."

"What?" Chris felt like his heart was in his throat. 

"Oh, honey, she's failing pretty fast. It'll be a miracle if she lasts the night."

Chris swallowed around the lump in his throat as his mom ushered them inside. He waved weakly at Susan, then led Sebastian down the hallway to his grandma's room. 

As they entered, Chris could hear how labored his grandma's breathing had become, and his heart clenched. 

"Grandma?" he began softly. "It's me, Chris. I've brought Sebastian to meet you."

His grandma opened her eyes and looked at him. "Well I can see it's you, Chris," she said hoarsely. "And so this is Sebastian! Come sit either side of me, boys."

Chris and Sebastian both did as they were told, sitting on the chairs on either side of the old lady, and she reached out and took their hands. 

"So I finally get to see this boy who's been making you so happy," his grandma began, and Chris rolled his eyes. 

"Finally? Grandma, we've only been dating for a couple of weeks!"

"That's as may be, Chris, but you've been looking for someone to love for a long time. I'm just glad I got to see you happy before I go."

"Grandma, I..."

His grandma shook her head. "No, Chris. No denials. I see the way you're looking at each other. It's the way your grandpa and I used to look at each other, right up until he died. Now you've found one another, don't let go. You get a ring on each other's fingers as soon as you can, or I'll come back and haunt you!" she laughed, and Chris smiled wanly through his tears. "Now, Sebastian, I've heard all about you from my grandson here, but why don't you tell me why you're so head over heels for him now?"

Sebastian smiled gently at Chris. "He's just such a good person, you know? He's sweet, and kind, and so caring. Nothing is ever too much of a bother for him. He'd give someone his last quarter if they were in need. And you know," he added, lowering his voice conspiratorially, "he's kind of really hot."

"Sebastian!" Chris exclaimed, scandalized, but his grandma just laughed. 

"Good boy, Sebastian. Now, you two promise me you'll make each other happy? Promise!"

"I promise, grandma," Chris said quietly, as Sebastian echoed him. She joined their hands together, then her head fell back on the pillow and she breathed deeply. 

"Go on then with the both of you. And send Susan in here."

Both Chris and Sebastian leaned down to kiss her, then they left the room, heading through to the kitchen, their hands still clasped together. Chris told Susan that their grandma wanted her and she left to see to her, leaving Chris and Sebastian alone with his mom, who looked up at them, her eyes bright. 

"Sorry I didn't say before, but it's very nice to meet you, Sebastian," Chris's mom said with a small smile, and Sebastian took her hand and grasped it tightly. 

"I'm just sorry it's not under better circumstances," he murmured. 

"Anyway," Lisa continued, wiping furiously at her eyes, "it's only a few weeks until Christmas, and I was thinking that maybe we could all have Christmas together at our house? Your parents too, Sebastian. That way you two can be together over the holiday without feeling guilty about going to one set of parents or the other."

Chris and Sebastian looked at each other, eyes wide, before Sebastian shrugged slightly. Chris looked at him questioningly, and when he received a small nod in response, sighed. "Well, if Sebastian wants to ask his mom and stepdad it would be great to have them."

"I'll ask them today," Sebastian smiled. "Thank you for the offer. I'm sure they'll agree, and your mom's right, it'd be good for us to spend Christmas together." He took Chris's hand and squeezed it, and Chris squeezed back, chanting to himself in his head that it was _all fake, all fake, all fake_. 

Funny how it was getting harder and harder to believe that. 

***

They didn't stay much longer at Chris's grandma's but went back to Chris's apartment. Chris fetched the beer from the refrigerator and they cracked them open, sitting together on the sofa, not speaking, but in a comfortable silence. 

"So your family seem nice," Sebastian said at length, startling Chris out of his reverie. 

"Yeah, they're great," Chris smiled. "I'm sorry about my mom springing that on you, though..."

"Chris, are you kidding? My mom is gonna be so thrilled about this. In fact, I'm gonna call her right now." He took his phone out of his pocket and called his mom, smiling when she picked up. "Hey, mom. Yeah, I'm fine, but I've got to ask you - what are your Christmas plans? Oh okay, it's just Chris's mom has invited the three of us over for Christmas Day cause she thought it might be nice for us to spend the holiday together and...oh you would? Well I'll let her know. No, mom, I don't...okay fine, hang on. Hey, Chris, what's your mom's number?" 

Chris gave Sebastian a look that was half question, half warning, but when Sebastian shrugged helplessly Chris sighed and gave Sebastian his mom's cellphone number. Sebastian related it to his mom, then smiled. "Okay, mom, I gotta go, I'm with Chris now. No, I'm not gonna tell him that! Okay fine. But you're not allowed to embarrass me on Christmas! Fine. I love you. Bye." Sebastian sighed. "My mom said that you'd better be considering putting a ring on my finger soon, but she's a weirdo so just ignore her."

Chris grinned. Why couldn't things always be this easy?

***

The next morning, Chris awoke to his phone ringing before his alarm had even gone off. Considering how early he had to get up this was pretty unusual, but when e saw it was his mom his heart dropped into his feet. 

"Mom? What is it?" he answered. 

"Oh, Chris, it's your grandma," his mom sobbed. "She went during the night."

"Was she...was she in pain?"

"Oh, honey, no. She went peacefully."

"Should I come over? What should I do?"

"No, no, you go into work. I'll let you know tonight about the funeral."

"Okay, mom. I'm so, so sorry. I love you."

"I love you too, sweetheart."

Chris ended the call, and only then did the tears come, hot streams running down his cheeks. He didn't even think, just pressed call on his phone. 

"H'lo?" came Sebastian's sleepy voice from the other end of the line. 

"Sebastian?" Chris sniffed. 

"Chris? Chris, what's wrong?"

"My grandma, she...she's gone. During the night."

"Oh, Chris, I'm so sorry. Want me to come over on my way to work?"

"Nah," Chris replied, "I'll have to leave before then. I just wanted someone to talk to. I'm sorry if I woke you."

"Hey, hey, don't apologise. Whatever you need, whenever you need it, okay? When's the funeral?"

"Don't know. My mom's going to call me about it tonight."

"Want me to go with you?"

"Oh, god, Sebastian, I don't want you to feel like you have to..."

"Chris, what did I just say? If you need me to be there I'll be there."

"Then yes. I need you there."

"Okay. You just let me know when it is and I'll be there. You take care of yourself today and I'll swing by tonight after work to see how you're doing, okay?"

"Thanks, Sebastian," Chris sniffed. "You're the best fake boyfriend ever."

There was a moment of silence on Sebastian's end, before he laughed, though there was an edge to it Chris hadn't heard before. "Well, I do what I can. See you tonight, okay? And Chris...I'm really sorry."

"Thanks," Chris replied, before they said their goodbyes and he ended the call. 

Chris wasn't sure exactly how he got through the day of classes, but he somehow managed, and drove back to his apartment. He called his mom, who told him about the funeral arrangements, then grabbed something to eat although he wasn't really feeling hungry. He was in the middle of marking some papers when the door buzzer went. 

When Sebastian got to the door he said nothing, but simply wrapped Chris up in a hug. Chris clung to him with an edge of desperation, then pulled back a little to wipe his eyes. 

"Thanks. I'm sorry I'm not going to be great company this evening..."

Sebastian rolled his eyes. "Chris, I'm not here to be entertained by your sparkling wit. I'm here to keep you company through your grief, okay? Now come on." And Sebastian grabbed his hand and pulled him over to the sofa, sitting next to him and pulling him down so his head was resting on Sebastian's shoulder. "So would it help if you told me about her?"

Chris nodded, and began to speak. He told Sebastian stories from his childhood, as well as stories she used to tell about when she was a girl, and before he knew it it was time for bed and he was feeling, if not better, slightly more able to cope. He lifted his head from Sebastian's shoulder and stretched, yawning. 

"Thanks, man. That's just what I needed."

Sebastian gave him a small smile. "Good. Now get a good night's sleep and call me if you need anything else, okay?"

Chris nodded, then gasped. "Oh, man, I completely forgot! The funeral is next Monday at eleven. Don't worry if you can't make it because of work or whatever, though."

Sebastian gave him a look. "Chris, I said I'd be there and I'll be there, okay? Don't worry about work. Just concentrate on what's important right now."

Chris paused for a moment before wrapping Sebastian up in a big hug. "Thank you."

Sebastian patted him on the back before pulling away, and they said their goodbyes. Chris trudged through to his bedroom and set his alarm, before getting ready for bed and collapsing into it, immediately falling into a deep slumber. 

***

The following week went by in a blur, but Chris's one constant was Sebastian. Every evening when he got off work Sebastian was there at Chris's, and they would either cook or get takeout. They didn't talk much during these evenings, but Chris found Sebastian's presence a real comfort. But when he tried to tell him, Sebastian had just shrugged it off with a "You'd do the same for me, man, it's nothing."

But it was something to Chris, though apparently Sebastian didn't want to hear it. Maybe he'd figured out that Chris had started to develop feelings for him and was trying to keep his distance. If that was the case...but Chris didn't want to think about that. 

The day of his grandma's funeral dawned bright, with a slightly chill wind. Chris dressed slowly, and was just pulling on his suit jacket when the buzzer went. 

When Chris opened the door to Sebastian his mouth went dry. He'd known Sebastian was attractive - had been all too aware of that for some time - but Sebastian in a black suit was a whole other problem. Chris ushered him in with a hurried "Uh, just let me find my keys and my coat," but inside was mentally berating himself. It was the day of his grandma's funeral, for god's sake. This was not an appropriate time to be ogling his fake boyfriend. 

He was pretty sure that wherever she was, his grandma was having a good laugh at his expense. 

They drove to the crematorium in Chris's car - "no rotting in a coffin for me," his grandma had always said - and went inside. Chris sat next to his mom, with Sebastian at the outside, and clasped both of their hands in his. His mom look down and smiled to see his and Sebastian's joined hands, and Chris suddenly felt bad for lying to his whole family about something so important. 

But it was too late now, and the service was starting. 

Chris's mom got up and said a few words, then Chris as the oldest grandson also got up. He spoke about his grandma's undying belief in true love, the way he remembered her interacting with his grandpa before he died, and how glad he was that he got to fulfil her one wish for him before she died. The tears came, then, and he finished off his eulogy with salt tears running down his cheeks before heading back down to his seat. 

As soon as he sat down, Sebastian pulled him into a hug, letting him cry himself out on his shoulder as the priest gave the final blessing and the coffin disappeared. 

"I'm sorry if I ruined your suit," Chris whispered, and Sebastian gave him a small smile. 

"It's just salt water. It'll come out in the wash."

After the service, Chris spent a good half an hour introducing Sebastian to the various close family members who hadn't met him yet, including his dad and siblings, who all thanked him for being there and for taking such good care of Chris. 

The meal afterwards was, of course, a subdued affair, but as they sat around their tables telling stories about the old woman they had known and loved the mood lifted a little, and soon they were even laughing over some of the funnier stories. 

When it was time to go, Chris's mom hugged both of them tightly. 

"And we'll see you both on Christmas Day?" she said, and they nodded. "Your mom has been in touch already - what a lovely woman she is! I think we're all going to get along just fine."

As Chris and Sebastian drove away, waving in the rearview mirror, Chris glanced at Sebastian. "Do you think we should be worried about the plans your mom and my mom might concoct about us two if you put them both in the one room?"

"Probably," laughed Sebastian. "But we'll just cross that bridge when we come to it."

They parted at Chris's door with more thanks on Chris's side and more reassurances on Sebastian's, as well as plans for Sebastian to come over on Christmas Eve so they could head up to his parents as they'd been invited to stay from the twenty fourth until the twenty sixth. 

***

The last week of school before the Christmas break always went quickly, and sure enough, before Chris knew it, it was Christmas Eve and he was on vacation. Sebastian came over at ten and they put their suitcases into Chris's trunk before making the forty five minute long drive up to Chris's parents' house. 

When they arrived, it seemed that everyone and the dog came out to greet them. When they were both hugged - and licked - half to death, Chris's mom led them up to Chris's old room with a smile. 

"You two will be staying in here," she said and left before Chris could protest. He and Sebastian dragged their suitcases into the room and Chris looked at Sebastian in horror. 

"Oh my god, I totally forgot that this would happen, I'm so sorry!"

"It's fine," Sebastian replied, though his smile seemed tighter than usual. "I figured this was probably a possibility. Besides, as long as you don't attack me in your sleep we should be okay."

"Fair warning, I may snore," Chris joked, and Sebastian rolled his eyes. 

"Dork. Come on, we'd better go downstairs and spend the time with your family."

Sebastian grabbed Chris's hand as they left the room, and Chris allowed himself to be led downstairs to the living room. 

As they reached the living room door, Chris's sister Carly laughed and pointed upwards. 

"Oh boys," she said in a sing-song voice, and Chris and Sebastian looked up to see a large sprig of mistletoe above the door. 

Chris sighed at his family's childishness, but Sebastian just smiled gently, resting a hand on his cheek before drawing him in for a gentle kiss. Chris could feel Sebastian drawing back and instinctively pulled him back into the kiss, deepening it. He could faintly hear his family wolf whistling in the background but he didn't care. All that mattered was Sebastian's lips on his...until he suddenly remembered that Sebastian was playing a part and pulled back, only to see that Sebastian was looking a little disheveled from their kiss. 

Chris pulled him into a hug so he could mutter a brief "sorry" into Sebastian's ear, but Sebastian just smiled and led him by the hand into the living room. 

As they all sat around chatting, Chris was in a world of his own. He had assumed that this attraction to Sebastian was just that, but the more he thought about it, the more he realised that he had never felt like this before about anyone, and it was dangerously close to how he'd always heard love as being described. But surely that was impossible, when it was all fake, and they'd only known each other for a month?

"Earth to Chris?" Shanna laughed, and Chris turned to his sister. 

"Hey."

"Hey, you were deep in thought. What's got your panties in a twist?"

Chris shrugged. "Just thinking about love."

"Hmm, he is pretty awesome," Shanna smiled. "You've lucked out there, big brother."

Chris watched Sebastian as he joked and laughed with Carly and Scott, and smiled. "Yeah. I really did."

By the time it came around to bed time, Chris had almost forgotten about the sleeping arrangements. He pointed Sebastian towards the bathroom, letting him go first, and quickly changed into his sleeping attire, which was basically just an old tshirt over his boxers. 

When Sebastian came back to the room some unrecognizable expression came into his eyes for a moment, but then it was gone and he just smiled. "Your turn," he said, and Chris nodded, heading towards the bathroom. 

When he came back Sebastian was already in bed. "Sorry, I took this side automatically," he grinned. "We can swap if you want?"

Chris shook his head. "Nah, I always sleep on this side anyway," he replied, climbing in. 

"Well, goodnight," Sebastian said, their faces so close that Chris thought he was going to reach in for a kiss. But then Sebastian turned over onto his other side, and Chris tried not to feel disappointed. 

"Goodnight," he said softly, and switched off his light before cuddling down under the covers. 

***

The next morning Chris was awakened by a loud knocking on his door, followed by a shouted, "Get up! It's Christmas!!"

Chris yawned and stretched, turning over and coming nose-to-nose with Sebastian. 

"Uh, hey!"

"Happy Christmas," Sebastian breathed, before leaning in and kissing him. Chris kissed back joyfully for a few moments, then pulled back. 

"Sebastian, what...?"

"Never mind. I'm sorry," Sebastian said suddenly, making as if to get up, but Chris pulled him back onto the bed. 

"No you fucking don't, Sebastian, now you tell me what that was all about or so help me..."

"I love you. Okay? I'm in love with you," Sebastian replied, looking so young and vulnerable that Chris could feel himself melt. "I've been falling for you pretty much since we met, and I didn't mean to because I know what our deal was but I thought maybe if take a chance on my own little Christmas miracle, you know?"

"Sebastian," Chris laughed, "just...just shut up and kiss me, okay?"

"What?" Sebastian's expression was adorably confused, and Chris just had to lean up and kiss him. 

"I'm, like, completely in love with you too, okay? So you can stop emoing or whatever and come back down here and _kiss me properly_ ," Chris began, but was interrupted when Sebastian finally got with the program and fell on him with a joyful noise. 

They kissed until Chris's lips were numb and his cock was rock hard, but as he trailed his hands down to cup Sebastian's ass and pull him closer, there was another knock on the door. 

"Hurry up, boys, or you'll miss the presents!" Chris's mom called, and Chris pulled back from the kiss despairingly. 

"Ten more minutes, mom!"

"If you're not out of there in two minutes I'm coming in!" his mother replied warningly, and that was enough to kill his hard on immediately. But Sebastian just laughed and kissed him gently before rolling out of bed and pulling on his jeans. Chris followed suit, and soon they were all downstairs exchanging gifts. 

All through the unwrapping, Chris and Sebastian sat close to one another, touching as often as they could. Chris ignored his mother's indulgent smiles and his siblings' gagging, and just bathed in the feeling of loving and being loved - truly loved - in return. 

After the gifts they had breakfast consisting of waffles and bacon, then they all got dressed and came back downstairs. Sebastian and Chris sat together on the sofa, Sebastian leaning back into Chris with Chris's arm wrapped around him. They sat around talking and inspecting all the presents, occasionally venturing into the kitchen to see if they could help with the cooking, then at midday Sebastian's mom and stepdad arrived with more gifts. 

After all the gifts had been opened, Georgeta beckoned Chris over to a quiet corner of the room. "I know you boys keep saying it's too soon," she began, "but if you do ever decide to make an honest man of my son, you can use this. It was his grandfather's, my father's, wedding ring."

"Thank you, Georgeta," Chris smiled. "I'll keep that in mind."

"What did my mom want with you?" Sebastian asked him as Chris settled back down on the sofa next to him. 

"None of your business," Chris replied, kissing Sebastian lightly on the nose and grinning when he scrunched up his face. 

Soon after they were all called into the dining room and they sat down to the Christmas feast. When the Christmas pudding had been eaten and they all looked like they might fall asleep, Chris stood with a determined look on his face. Sebastian looked up at him questioningly, as the whole table fell silent. 

"Uh, I know you all think I'm kind of a loser who doesn't know a good thing when he has it, but..." Chris ignored his family's denials and carried on, "...but I know that Sebastian is the best thing that's ever happened to me. I know it's not been long since we met, but my grandma told me that there was no time limit on true love. And she was an amazing lady, and I'm sure she was right about this. So, uh." Chris dropped to one knee as everyone gasped, and Sebastian's hands flew to his mouth. "Sebastian, I love you. I've never felt this way about anyone before. Will you marry me?"

Sebastian looked at the ring, then looked between his mother and Chris. When his mother nodded, tears in her eyes, Sebastian leaned down and kissed Chris. 

"That's a yes, by the way," he murmured against Chris's lips, and a cheer went up around the table as Chris pushed the ring onto Sebastian's finger. 

"Uh, mom and dad, I hope you don't mind but I think we're gonna have to leave a day early," Chris laughed, and his parents grinned as one of his sisters - Chris thought it might have been Carly - muttered "Gross!"

They sat around in the living room for a while and drank mulled wine and ate mincemeat pies, until Chris couldn't wait any longer. He and Sebastian escaped up to the bedroom and packed their bags, before carrying them downstairs. 

"Well, thanks for the amazing day, everyone, but we're gonna go home now and figure some stuff out. Love you all!" Chris called, before his family and Sebastian's descended on them both with hugs and kisses and handshakes. 

Chris didn't go over the speed limit on his way home, but it was a damn close thing. When they finally arrived back at his apartment, they dragged the suitcases up to his door and left them just inside, tripping over them as they hurried towards Chris's bedroom. 

When they got there they stripped quickly - maybe next time would be the time for stripping each other slowly, but now was not the time for finesse. Both of them had waited long enough. 

Once they were naked Sebastian grabbed Chris and pulled him in for a kiss, wrapping his arms around Chris's shoulders as Chris wrapped his around Sebastian's waist, both of them moaning at the feel of skin on skin, and of their hard cocks rubbing together. Chris brought a hand down and began stroking them both together, and Sebastian ripped his mouth away from Chris's, gasping. 

"Fuck, Chris, need to fuck you, it's all I've been thinking about for weeks, can I?"

"Fuck yes," Chris groaned, and Sebastian pushed him back onto the bed, before climbing on after him. Chris pointed to the bedside cabinet as Sebastian began to stroke him with strong, sure strokes. "In...there...stuff," he panted, and Sebastian grinned, opening the drawer and taking out the lube and a condom. 

He grabbed a pillow and propped up Chris's hips with it, then spread his legs before slicking up his fingers with the lube. He stretched out beside Chris and drew him in for a deep kiss, swallowing his moans as he teased at his asshole before pushing in the first finger. 

Sebastian kissed him as he fingered him open, slowly and carefully, now and again crooking his fingers to hit that spot inside Chris that made him whine and beg for "More, Sebastian, please, fuck, just give me more!" Chris thought he might go crazy by the time Sebastian was finished with him, but then Sebastian was withdrawing his fingers and repositioning himself, putting on the condom and covering his cock with lube. 

As he began to push inside Chris nearly bit through his lip at the intense pressure, until he was completely inside and Chris felt like he could breath again. He willed his body to adjust as Sebastian held still, nodding as he felt his muscles relax. 

Chris wrapped his legs around Sebastian's waist as he began to move. 

"Fuck, Chris, you feel so good, I'm not going to last," Sebastian gasped out. 

"Nngh, fuck, then fuck me hard and fast, make me come on your cock, please, Sebastian, I want it," Chris cried. 

Sebastian nodded and began to pound into him, setting a brutal pace that Chris knew he'd be feeling for days and he was loving every second of it. Then Sebastian changed angle slightly and Chris was seeing stars as his eyes rolled back in his head and pleasure shot through all of his nerve endings. 

He brought a hand down and started stroking his cock, and it wasn't long before he was crying out and coming hard all over his chest and stomach. Then Sebastian was cursing, before he stilled, coming with Chris's name on his lips. 

They lay there for a few moments, catching their breath, then Sebastian leaned down and kissed Chris deeply. He pulled out gently, before disposing of the condom then climbing back into bed next to Chris and pulling the covers up over them. 

Chris kissed him again and again, like he couldn't get enough, before taking Sebastian's left hand and kissing his finger where the ring was. 

"Happy Christmas, Sebastian. I love you," he smiled, and Sebastian leaned over for another kiss. 

"Happy Christmas, Chris. I love you too."

Sebastian settled down under the covers with his head on Chris's chest, and Chris had never felt so right in his entire life. That Christmas had brought him everything he'd never known he was missing.

**Author's Note:**

> Come find me on tumblr where I am also velvetjinx and reblog lots of stuff about Sebastian and Chris!


End file.
